Show ContentsGovender History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Govender family

The surname Govender was first found in Brittany, originally Armorica in ancient times, where the family has been a prominent family for centuries, and held a family seat with lands and manor. The family were well established in the region of Dol and several members of the family distinguished themselves through their contributions toward the community in which they lived and were rewarded with lands, titles and letters patent confirming their nobility.

Early History of the Govender family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Govender research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Govender History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Govender Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gouverneur, Gouvernaire, Governor, Governer, Governet, Govenaire, Gouvernet, Gouvernat, Gouvarnal and many more.

Early Notables of the Govender family

More information is included under the topic Early Govender Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Govender Ranking

In South Africa, the name Govender is the 18th most popular surname with an estimated 129,771 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Govender family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: including many of the name who migrated to the New World from the mid 17th century onward.


Contemporary Notables of the name Govender (post 1700) +

  • Ronnie Govender (1934-2021), Tamil South African playwright, director and activist
  • Rev. Rogers Morgan Govender M.B.E. (b. 1960), born in Durban, South Africa, British Dean of Manchester, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Interfaith Relations and to the community in Manchester 2


  1. "Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
  2. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists


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